Erik Ten Hag insists Manchester United played well and were unlucky despite the team being booed after Brighton defeat.

Erik ten Hag tried to avoid any overreaction by defending his side’s performance following the 3-1 defeat to Brighton.

Manchester United lost at home in the Premier League for the first time in 21 games and were booed off the pitch as a number of supporters left early.

Former United star Danny Welbeck opened the scoring for the Seagulls, before Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro found the back of the net, with Hannibal Mejbri adding a consolation in the 73rd minute.

The result means United have lost at least three of their opening five Premier League matches for the first time ever, with panic setting in as off-field problems further mar the start of the season.

Things might have been different if it hadn’t been a matter of millimeters, with £72m Rasmus Hojlund seemingly equalizing just before half-time, only for VAR to realize that Marcus’s assist Rashford was offside.

The match ended with United recording 14 shots to Brighton’s ten, which was enough for Ten Hag to attempt to send a message of calm, despite the away team having eight shots on target to United’s four .

Speaking to talkSPORT after the match, the Dutchman said: “We had chances, I think in the first half we played pretty well, or I would say we played very well, but we didn’t we didn’t score.

“We created chances, but we didn’t finish and then their first chance was there, and then we had a difficult period where we had to deal with the setbacks and then the disallowed goal just before half-time. -time.

“This is not our day, this is not our time, but we will fight back.”

Asked if he expected a half-time reaction from his players, Ten Hag replied: “Yes, but we played well in the first half, so keep doing that.

“We play against a strong team, we know that, but then it’s about sticking to the plan and respecting the rules, and then the first chance of the second half presents itself again.

“But we have to face it, and in the second half we created chances.”

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United were unbeaten in 31 games at Old Trafford in all competitions, but Ten Hag was keen to move on.

He continued: “As always we are disappointed with every game we lose and today there was no need to lose because we had our chances and the margins were really small.

“But not on our side, we have to accept it and we have to move forward.

“Keep working hard and stick to the plan, be united, that’s important too, and then it will come, we will achieve it.”

Things don’t get any easier with a trip to Germany to face Bayern Munich, but Ten Hag sees this Champions League opener as the perfect opportunity to get back on track.

“It’s a great match to do that,” he concluded.

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